Colin Powell announces his decision

...and it's in support for Barack Obama. This isn't a huge surprise as many already believed this to be the case including Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former national security adviser for President Carter and Mort Kondracke, an executive editor for Roll Call.

There's no question that Colin Powell is a respected figure and that his decision is yet another wound for John McCain. I commend Powell for standing up for what he believes in, though expect a barrage of attacks coming from the right over the next week looking to damage his credibility and to help play damage control. An argument you're likely to see is, "why the October surprise?" Powell is likely to be labeled as someone who wants to be on the winning team and this late announcement may help with Obama's already high poll numbers.

Will Powell's endorsement further Obama's lead or will the the difference be negligible? How will Powell be attacked for his newly announced stance? Even if it doesn't initially cause a difference in numbers, the coverage of this decision (and it's reactions) will eat into the precious little time McCain has left to get his message across before the election.